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Fats: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Oct. 28, 2014|293 views

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Experts used to think that saturated fat in the diet was bad for
your heart. Saturated fat—found in foods like beef, for example—was
believed to influence blood cholesterol levels unfavorably. Polyunsaturated
fats—mostly from plant sources, nuts and fish—was
thought to be healthier for you. Trans fats—the synthetic
variety created by technicians in the laboratory—were thought to be
safe.

Most of this, we now know, is untrue. Saturated fats do not
appear to modify heart disease risk. Trans fats are far from safe. Polyunsaturated
fats are still recognized as beneficial and generally heart-healthy. The
problem of trans fats has largely been eliminated. These dangerous artificial
fats caused untold damage the the cardiovascular health of millions of
Americans over the years.

But scientists finally sounded the alarm, and the FDA took steps
to force manufacturers to at least identify these ingredients in their products,
a few years ago. Many food manufacturers have voluntarily removed trans fatty
acids from their packaged foods. Even so, they’re still allowed to
claim that a product contains “zero”
trans fats, even if there is up to one half gram of the toxic stuff
present per serving. Which means it’s still good advice to avoid packaged
goods, especially baked goods, where small—but still
problematic—amounts of trans fats may be lurking. That’s
because trans fats have been linked to elevated cardiovascular disease risk.

It now appears that saturated fats, per se, were never the cause
of America’s heart disease epidemic. Rather, trans fats may have been
the culprit. Furthermore, it’s now becoming clear that, while
saturated fats may not be bad for you, a lack of polyunsaturated fats in the
diet may indicate a problem. That’s because people who consume more of
these heart-healthy fats are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease.